What You Need to Know About Airbnb’s New Halloween Booking Policy
Airbnb definitely doesn’t want people to rent out properties on their site for parties. First, in August they announced a global party ban . They then introduced a policy prohibiting people from placing last-minute orders in their hometown. Now Airbnb has released new Halloween rental regulations that, you guessed it, are aimed at preventing parties. Here’s what you need to know.
Halloween restrictions
Effective October 2, Airbnb stopped allowing one-night bookings for whole-home stays on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, anywhere in the United States or Canada.
If you were able to book your entire home for one night on the 30th or 31st before the new rules take effect, Airbnb will cancel your booking and refund your expenses. The company said it will cover the cost of the refund, ensuring that hosts continue to pay for canceled reservations.
According to Airbnb, the new policy is explained as follows :
The vast majority of guests are respectful of our hosts’ homes and neighbors, and we understand this initiative will interfere with many overnight bookings that may not have resulted in partying. This action is designed to help protect our hosts and the communities in which they live. We will also introduce additional measures in addition to the two nights minimum to prevent as many large gatherings as possible.
Extra precautions for Halloween
And that’s not all: Airbnb also announced the following precautions ahead of the holiday:
- As Halloween weekend approaches, we plan to introduce stricter restrictions on reservations for two and three nights, which could create an increased risk for parties. For example, we will use our technology to restrict certain local and last-minute bookings to non-Airbnb guests, and to block extended radius bookings.
- In addition, as the weekend approaches, we plan to remind guests who have successfully booked between October 28th and November 1st that parties are not allowed in advertisements. They will also be required to confirm that they understand that they may be removed from Airbnb or brought legal action if they violate Airbnb’s party policies .
- Should anyone manage to escape the protection of Airbnb and the host parties, trained Airbnb Neighborhood Support agents will be on hand over the weekend to respond quickly to concerns raised by neighbors.
So if you’re throwing a Halloween party, you might want to reconsider your plans, whether or not they include booking one night on Airbnb – we’re still in the midst of a pandemic and the gatherings might not be the best. a public health solution.